Why Buy From Orion

Beginner

Suited for a wide range of uses, Level 1 Beginner telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

For beginning stargazers who want a starter telescope capable of providing more oomph, more performance than a traditional 60mm refractor, we present the Orion Observer 70mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope. Compared to a 60mm refractor, the Observer 70 EQ can reveal an even greater variety of stellar gems and provide greater resolution of old favorites like the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Orion Nebula. The Observer 70 Equatorial Refractor is easy for anyone in the family to operate, and its affordable price makes it a great telescope to start with as you discover the rewarding hobby of amateur astronomy.

The Orion Observer 70 EQ Refractor Telescope features a multi-coated, achromatic glass objective lens that's 70mm in diameter, with a focal length of 700mm (f/10). This glass lens takes in 36% more light than a 60mm lens for brighter, clearer views. Bottom line: you'll see more than you would through telescope with a smaller aperture.

The refractor telescope optical tube is crafted from black-enameled aluminum and outfitted with a smooth-action, 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser on one end and a dew cap/glare shield on the other. The telescope tube is held in quick-releasing tube rings on the Orion EQ-1 equatorial mount. Also made of aluminum, the EQ-1 mount supports the telescope and mimics the rotational axes of the Earth, which in turn allows you to manually "track" celestial objects with the Observer 70 refractor using slow-motion controls. For added convenience, an optional EQ-1M electronic drive (sold separately) can be installed to provide automatic, hands-free tracking.

The telescope tube and equatorial mount are supported on a sturdy aluminum tripod that adjusts to a comfortable height for virtually any observer. This telescope looks so good; you'll want to keep your Observer 70mm refractor on display when you're not using it!

The Observer 70mm Telescope comes with everything you need to start observing the night sky right away:

Includes two quality telescope eyepieces: a 25mm Kellner eyepiece for 28x views and a 10mm Kellner eyepiece for higher magnification, 70x views.

The included telescope eyepieces provide two different magnification options right out of the box! We recommend starting with the 25mm ocular to obtain wide, 28x views. Then for closer looks, you can boost the power all the way up to 70x by using the 10mm telescope eyepiece. An included accessory tray for the tripod provides a convenient spot to keep your eyepieces ready for action.

Following a simple alignment procedure that parents can help with, you can use the EZ Finder II sight to accurately aim the Observer 70mm telescope at objects in the sky like the Moon and bright planets. Once aligned with the telescope, just turn on the EZ Finder II and peer through the sight's small circular viewing window so you see the red dot, and move the telescope until the red dot is on the object you want to see. Look in the telescope, and it's there!

A 90° mirror diagonal is included for comfortable nighttime viewing.

A diagonal bends the light path of a telescope so you can view the sky comfortably. Without a diagonal, you'd have to look straight-through the telescope, which can be tricky and downright uncomfortable when looking at certain areas of the sky. Bending the light collected by the Observer 70mm telescope at a 90° angle lets you look down into the eyepiece so you can relax and enjoy the view.

Learn about the night sky with the included Starry Night Special Edition software

Explore starry skies anytime - even when it's cloudy! The SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian telescope includes a FREE Special Edition of Starry Night astronomy software. With realistic sky simulations and a many useful features including telescope control, the user-friendly Starry Night Special Edition software will help you plan your observations and understand what you see. Requires PC running Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 or 10. Requires Macintosh running OS X 10.4 or higher.

This Observer 70mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope is a great choice for those just getting started in astronomy. It is lightweight and compact so it's easy to carry to your observing location, be it out on the lawn or an hour's drive into the hills. The telescope offers optical performance that will keep any observer entranced, evening after evening. Get in on the fun and get an Orion Observer 70mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope today!

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

User level

Level 1 Beginner - Suited for a wide range of uses, these telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 2 Intermediate - These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 3 Advanced - These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Level 4 Expert - Expert telescopes offer uncompromising optical and mechanical quality for the most demanding amateur astronomer. They may be technically involved or designed for specialized use, such as astrophotography or detailed deep sky observation. They carry a premium price, but are designed to provide the ultimate performance in the field. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens.
Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

Coatings

Binocular lenses and prisms are often coated with anti-reflective material to minimize light loss as light travels through the multiple optical surfaces of a typical binocular. Coatings help maximize the amount of light transmitted through each glass surface of a binocular, so as much light as possible reaches the observer's eyes to provide a bright and sharp image.

Good lenses are at least "fully coated," with a single layer of magnesium fluoride coating applied to each air-to-glass lens surface. Multiple layers of coatings are even more effective; the term "multi-coated" means one or more air-to-glass lens surface has multiple coatings. "Fully multi-coated" optics are even better, meaning all lens surfaces have multiple layers of anti-reflective coatings applied for maximum light transmission and optimal image quality.

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration.
Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification.
But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Dovetail bar system

A universal attachment system for holding the optical tube onto the tripod. A dovetail bar is attached to the tube rings, then it slides onto the mount itself, making for quick assembly and disassembly.

Motor drive compatibility

A motor drive automatically moves the telescope in right ascension at the same rate as the east-west drift of the stars so stars can be continuously tracked in the eyepiece without manual adjustment. Motor drives are usually equipped with a hand control that allows the telescope's tracking speed to be slightly increased or decreased, which is particularly critical when taking long-exposure astro-images.

Computerized compatibility

Some mounts are compatible with a motorized Go-To system for fully automated computer finding of objects in the night sky. Others mounts are compatible with computer finding systems which require the user to manually move the mount to the object's position as indicated by the computer finder.

Latitude range

The latitude range refers to the usable range on the EQ mount's latitude axis. If you live above or below the latitude specified, the mount may not be able to polar align properly because of interference with the counterweight shaft or the polar axis housing.

Height range of mount

The height range specification is a measure of the tripod itself - not the eyepiece height. Since telescopes come in all shapes and sizes, the eyepiece height will vary, even when using the same tripod. For an EQ tripod the mount is set up so the counterweight shaft is horizontal, and then the height is measured from the ground to the center of the mounting plate.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Standard Time for in-stock item the same business day. Order received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, & reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!